Love Like Pi, A - A Love Like Pi EP

A Love Like Pi - A Love Like Pi EP
Release Date: N/A
Record Label: Independent

Rare in our scene is the band that can write creative, compelling, and sophisticated music, and even rarer is the one that can take that sonic vision and execute it with both precision and finesse. A Love Like Pi is one of these rare bands. As a music reviewer, I’m sent a lot of music—most of which is utter garbage. Thus, it is an absolute delight to find a band such as A Love Like Pi: a group that writes not only refreshing music, but sees to it that their work is represented accurately by means of a professional recording (quality production is not to be taken for granted, I’ve learned). A Love Like Pi’s self-titled three song EP is a fantastic progressive, electronic-tinged emo debut that will undoubtedly turn many heads.

When I first put on A Love Like Pi’s EP, I really had no idea what to expect—I had never heard of them or their former band (Blind and Driving) before, and had simply taken the word of a friend that their EP was worth checking out (he was right, too). The first thing that I noticed about the band is their uncommon sound palette and use of dynamics—from swelling synth keys, occasionally palm-muted, delayed guitars, and gentle pianos to electronic programming, violin-based melodies, and active bass lines, A Love Like Pi has created a sonic soundscape that few of their peers can even come close to emulating. The three songs on the EP are all relatively laid back, save the verses of “I Am a Soldier,” (my favorite song on the EP) which feature distorted guitars in tandem with aggressive drums; even then, there is a certain ambient vibe with the spacey, surging synths providing backup. Though relaxed at times, the band is anything but boring: the dynamic, bright, clear, impassioned, extremely strong vocals lend a certain energy to the music, even over peaceful accompaniment, as evidenced in the intro of “I Am a Soldier”, and there is never a dull moment on the CD due to tasteful layering, such as on the harmony-laden, acoustic-based “Broken Hands,” a really beautiful song that features a violin melody throughout. Each song clocks in around five minutes in length, and while that may seem a bit long by today’s standards, A Love Like Pi makes good use of their time, allowing for melodies and musical ideas to fully develop—there’s no filler here.

A Love Like Pi’s self-titled EP is one of the most impressive introductions to a band I’ve heard in a long, long time. The band did a wonderful job with the recording, especially in capturing the crisp, lively vocals and the general mood of the songs. While I would like to hear better drum tones and brighter guitars, I’m guessing the band didn’t have access to a full-fledged studio, so it’s hard to fault them for that. I cannot wait to see this band signed and in the studio with a producer who can bring out even more in them. Though A Love Like Pi doesn't really sound like either at all, fans of Circa Survive and, in some weird, but good, way, A Thorn For Every Heart (minus the screaming) should check this band out.

This review is a user submitted review from Rohan Kohli. You can see all of Rohan Kohli's submitted reviews here.

i thought that too...then i decided to listen to their new album from start to finish and was surprised at the lack of flow and the lack of that sense of "conclusion" an album is supposed to have. You know? That sense where you think 'wow. every song made sense and it completely gave a sense of a problem being resolved' etc etc.